Adam Eaton Signs 5-Year Contract With White Sox

By Bruce Levine--

(CBS) The White Sox have signed 26-year-old outfielder Adam Eaton to a five-year, $23.5-million contract that includes club options for 2020 and 2021, they announced Friday afternoon.

This was another case of the White Sox staying ahead of the escalating salary curve by signing younger players with upside to long-term deals that make sense to both sides before the player becomes arbitration-eligible. Eaton would've arbitration after this season and been eligible for free agency after the 2018 season.

"Adam serves as a catalyst, brings a spark of energy to the ballpark each and every day and helps ignite our offense," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. "He provided everything we look for in a leadoff hitter, a center fielder and a competitor after joining us last season. We expect him to be an important part of this team's success moving forward and are very pleased we were able to reach this agreement to keep him in a White Sox uniform for potentially the next seven seasons."

The 26-year-old Eaton's contract will be as follows:

2015: $850,000
2016: $2.75 million
2017: $4 million
2018: $6 million
2019: $8.4 million
2020: $9.5 million club option
2021: $10.5 million club option

If either option is declined, Eaton will receive a $1.5 million buyout.

In his debut season with Chicago, Eaton hit .300 with 35 RBIs, 76 runs, 15 stolen bases and a .362 on-base percentage in 2014. He only played in 123 because of injuries, which he suffered in part because his strong defense leads him to make some dangerous plays near the outfield wall.

"We can now let Adam go out and play his game without ant worries (about injury)," Hahn said. "This contract made sense for both sides."